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How Bob Marley's Son Learned From Failure And Started A Multi-Million Dollar Coffee Company
As a 20-something looking for His purpose, Rohan Marley found it by going back to his roots.
Marley Coffee is still a relatively small Company, there ving churned out $ 6 million in Revenue in 2013 FOUNDER But Rohan Marley , one of Bob Marley's Children, has Big Plans for His Jamaican-born coffee business.
In 1999, Rohan Marley frame 27 Had He played linebacker for the University of Miami Before moving on to the Canadian Football League . Now he found himself in New York City, panting to do more with His life - to make a name for himself as a Marley.
In a serendipitous twist, Marley contacted a friend about an OPPORTUNITY to PURCHASE a property in Jamaica. Though he'd only lived as a child in Jamaica Before moving to the us at age 12, Marley Had Recently Received $ 200,000 in ROYALTIES from His father's music. So he made a trip to look at the property, and Could not believe what he found.
"The FIRST thing I saw all the frame of fruits - apple, starfruit, pineapple - tons of fruit growing wildly, and I was Seeing all the food going to waste, "he recalls in His thick Jamaican Accent. "While I'm walking, I'm thinking, 'Wow, this is really FERTILE land.' When I approached the river, I Could not believe my eyes That frame of this property in Jamaica. Here's this beautiful piece of property for sale - I thought it Was A Conspiracy. "
On Impulse, Marley His forked over $ 200,000 and bought the 52-acre property. As he frame walking off the land, he noticed an entire community of people standing there, Trying to figure out what he frame up to. "The only thing I think Could frame to say, 'What's the community KNOWN for?' They Said coffee, and by the time They knew my name, I was saying, 'Well alright, the community is KNOWN for coffee, so let's get down to specifics,' "he says. "My next question: 'Do you know anything about coffee? They Said,' Yes, Mr. Marley, we've been farming all Our Lives. '"
It did not take long for him to decide he wanted to start That a coffee business - one frame That emphatically organization. "I'm a Rasta man, and I can not have a piece of land That is not something I want to eat from," he explains.
It was a long haul from Marley's coffee-growing Initial idea to Creating a functional business. Marley spent eight years Applying for an export license, organic certification, and a coffee-growers license. The learning curve STEEP frame.
"I gave my coffee to a roaster in Jamaica - I gave him 1,000 pounds - and he never returned the bag. He Said It was all bad coffee," Marley Remembers. "I decided this was not working for me. I told the farmer, 'Take all the raw materials, sell it, do what you need to do to keep the farm going.'"
Between 2004 and 2006, Marley His sister helped start a Clothing Company, Which eventually ran out of money and shut down. Marley once again needed to reevaluate His life. He packed duffel bags and headed Two to Ethiopia.
When he Observed That frame Buying Starbucks coffee from the country, he Had an idea. "I'm like, wait a minute, Starbucks is sourcing coffee from all over the world - why do I have to stick to my country Jamaica Jamaican When an expensive coffee is so?" he says. "We're not just Trying to appeal to a niche market"
It was there, in Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee, that Marley decided to rekindle His business. And once the learning curves Were overcome, it turned out Marley's That WAS ABLE country to Produce high-quality read Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee.
Jammin Java , the corporation behind Marley Coffee , frame created in 2009 - right around the time That now-CEO Brent Marley Toevs approached about Becoming a distributor. Once he learned more about the Company, Toevs - forms a partner at the National Coffee Service & Vending - he decided That Could Make an impact from the inside. A year and a half ago, Marley Coffee Selling finally began its high-end coffee Products , Which come with Bob Marley-INSPIRED names like One Love, Lively Up !, and Get Up, Stand Up. In Addition to beans, the Company SELLS ground coffee and single-Serve cups.
"We have a distinct advantage: That [Rohan] did it right, from the Roots. His Company started as a coffee farm, learning the coffee business from growing coffee," says Toevs.
Today, Marley Coffee produces coffee still from Those 52 acres in Jamaica, BUT the product is an expensive and there is a limited Supply. The Company now ALSO buys coffee from other Countries including Ethiopia. "It's the coffee we most of PURCHASE. It's in almost all of our blends," says Toevs.
On the farm That Marley owns, it's easy to Ensure That the coffee is Pesticide-free and are treated well That farmer. Doing the same on other farms Requires more effort. According to Toevs, Marley Coffee farmer on partner farms teaches how to adhere to its sustainable farming practices. The Company Purchases all of its coffee - Which is all either organic or Rainforest Alliance certified fair-trade --from co-ops.
There have been CHALLENGES as the Company scales up, from $ 37,000 in its Revenue FIRST year, to a projection of over $ 10 million this year. "With Any brand new come Those CHALLENGES - Financial, getting it on the shelf, making sure Consumers take it off the shelf. Our CHALLENGES CHALLENGES are typical brand of Any Startup. We're going Into A Competitive very channel," says Toevs .
Marley Coffee is in the DST of its expanding product lines INTO Grocery Stores, Both domestically and internationally. In the near future, the Company Plans to Expand Further Into The single-cup space. It's ALSO looking at the possibility of Selling cold drinks coffee.
"You're going to see Marley Coffee in Higher-end hotels, in good Restaurants," Toevs predicts. "We think we can get there."
[Photos: Via Marley Coffee]
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